Where Am I?

I could taste it in the air, the unpleasant t crisp taste. Along with the iron taste there was an ear splitting screech. These sounds and taste were of death. I had to get out this place, wherever I was. I have no clue where I am. I wish I could remember more, but I don’t. I search in the moist darkness to find something to sit down on. I sit with my arms folded over my knees as I tried to remember where I was. But what was my last memory? I run my fingers through my hair as I tried to remember. I sat there for maybe 20 minutes or so until the faint last memory became clear.

The last thing I remember is:

“Mikki, wait! I want you home tonight and that’s final! It’s supposed to be bad weather tonight, and I want you home safe and sound for your Halloween party tomorrow. You hear me Mikki? I want you home tonight!” my mother wailed into my cell phone.

“Fine, Mom, I’m flagging down a taxi right now,” I said as I picked my way through the always crowed streets of New York City.

“Mikki, you know I hate you in taxi cabs. They are so gross and…” But it was too late. I was already at the curb with my arm raised. Almost as soon as I raised my arm a bright yellow taxi was at my side. My mother was still babbling on in my ear about taxis and their dangers.

“Okay, Mom. I love you too. See you tomorrow. Bye!” I say as I shut my phone and climb in a taxi.

“Grand Central please,” I asked as nicely as possible.

“Sure,” said the dark, scruffy taxi driver.

I was in the taxi for a while when I decide to take a better look at the driver. He was a strange looking man; he had silver shoulder length hair, a dirty unshaved face, and striking blue eyes. His clothes were just as odd; he wore a wrinkled blue Hawian tee shirt and a torn fishing cap with the initials R.I.P. sewed on the brim.

“Whoa! I haven’t seen something like that in a while! Turn around and take a look Miss,” the odd man told me.

I turned around slowly wondering what I would find. As I stared out, the window finding nothing, I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head and I blacked out and fell to the car seat.

What happened in the taxi cab? Where am I? Why can’t I remember how I ended up here? These questions raced through my crowed mind. I looked around me, but I can’t see anything, but somehow I see lighter outlines of shapes. I don’t know if these shapes are real or if my mind could just be showing me what I want to see. Oh, there’s one thing to worry about. Am I blind or in complete darkness?

As I ponder on an idea of this being a bad dream or just a sick joke, I fall into an unwilling soundless sleep. Not knowing what I was going to wake up to.

I’m awake but I don’t open my eyes. I don’t know what I’ll find.

“Oh come on, don’t be a chicken! At least you’re not dead,” I tell myself.

Could there be something beyond the safety of my eyes that is worse then death? There is only one way to find out… I slowly open my heavy eyelids. I look around so surprised. It’s light out. I can’t see very much. There are shadows over almost everything. I’m in some kind of forest. I take in a deep breath, hoping to take in the clean scent of a forest, but all I could smell was blood. I look around franticly as I tried to find the source. I almost gag when I look down at myself; I am almost completely covered in blood. My legs are badly scrapped up. I put my left arm in the air and turn it. The sleeve was missing off my sweatshirt and on my arm was a gruesome cut. It was covered with pine needles and dirt. I was about to wipe it off when I realized that would be stupid.

“I need to wash these cuts out,” I tell myself as I look at all the similar gashes scattered all over my body.

“AAHH!” I scream as I make myself stand up.

I look around this deserted forest for some sort of water; I had not realized how thirsty I had been.

I inch forward with a grimace on my face with every step I take. I looked around me and found a tree to lean onto for support. As I lean against the tree I listen as hard as possible, the silent pirieces my ears like a knife.

There are six trees ahead of me, maybe three yards apart, that I managed to pass in what I think is two hours. As I made it to my seventh tree, I heard something. I heard the most beautiful sound ever… water!

I don’t see it, but I can hear it. It has to be close by because I can hear it very clearly. I make myself rest, just telling myself after I rest, I can have water. I couldn’t help myself. I could not just sit there when I know there is water waiting for me. I stand up way too fast and almost fall over, but I grab onto the tree.

I inch forward going in the same direction. I stop at every tree but make myself keep going. While I struggled to walk, I had failed to realize that it was lighter and warmer out.

After about an hour and I had passed eight trees, I finally see the water. It was a gorgeous stream with crystal clear water rushing around rocks.

I almost run (well at least walk fast) to the stream. I find a smooth rock, and I sit on it while I rest my hands in the ice cold water. I make my hands into a cup and slowly sip water.

I examine my left arm again and use my right hand as a scoop and slowly pour the water on the gash. I scream and scream again. After I got all the pine needles off, I realize I can see the bone of my arm.

How did this happen?

“AAAHHHH!! WHERE AM I?” I scream into the uncomfortable silence.

I try to ignore the gash on my arm, finish washing myself, and drink until I’m completely full.

I look around and find that the forest is not as beautiful as I had thought; the forest almost looked sick. The trees were almost glowing a sluggish green, and the moss on the rocks and trees was red. Blood red. Not only that but it was way too quiet here. In a normal forest, you would see and hear little creatures running around up and down trees.

Ok I have never been a fan of nature and animals, but I am 99.9% sure that something has to be wrong here.

I get up and start to walk back to where I was before, but I make it back in less then half the time it took me to get to the water.

Once I get to the spot where I woke up, I just look down at the bloody mess that covered the already red autumn leaves. But I just keep walking. The ground got steeper and harder to walk on as I go up a small hill. I keep walking for about an hour or so until I take a break.

I sat on a flat rock as I once again look around myself. Everything looks about the same, but different in a way I can’t explain. I remember being here before but I don’t.

I sigh, and then take in a deep breath. There it is again! The stale iron taste of blood. I take another look around but harder, but all I see the leaves rolling in the chilly fall wind.

Then something catches my eye. I run up to the largest tree and there wrapped around the trunk was the missing sleeve of my sweatshirt. I grab the sleeve, and start to run in the direction I was in before.

I just run and run. I was running as fast as I could, when I trip on something hard and fall to the ground. I lie on the ground a little dazed but no more hurt then I was before, when I look down at my feet to see what I tripped over. I shriek with terror when I it’s a head. But not only was it a human head, it was a head of a man with the taxi drivers hat on. I remember the drivers face as if I had seen him every day of my life, and this was NOT the taxi driver’s head. But it was the same hat; it had the same initials R.I.P. sewed on the brim.

I slowly get up, turn and keep walking. I was now determined to find out what was going on in this messed up place.

After less then a minute of walking something catches my eye once again. A couple of yards ahead of me was what looks like the taxi. I walk slowly to the taxi and look at it. The taxi was right up and the rear looks fine, but the front looks as through it was dropped straight down.

I walk over and open the back car door and sit on the seat. I look and right next to me untouched was my purse. I grab the purse, unzip it and pour the content on the seat. I immediately grab my cell phone, and open it. I see that I have 10 new text messages, 12 new voicemails, and 18 missed calls. I ignore them and dial 911, it rings twice and a voice answers.

“911. What is your emergency?”

“Yes, um I think I was in a car crash, but I don’t know where I am. I woke up covered in blood and well… listen, sir I just need help now!” I yell into my cell phone.

“Ok miss calm down, and look around you is there a street sign anywhere?” Said the voice, which I noticed to be too quiet.

I get out and see that the taxi is on the bottom of a bank. I run up it and end up in the middle of a paved road.

“Ok I’m in the middle of a road. I don’t see a sign but I will keep walking,” I tell the man.

After about 3-4 minutes I see a street sign.

“Oh! I see a sign, hold on let me read it. The sign says: Midnight Coast!” I say with a sigh of relief.

“Ok, miss hold on, I know right where you are. You stay right. We will be there in a minute.” the sickly calm voice tells me, as my phone beeps from a dead battery.

I shut the phone, and seconds later a Red Cross Ambulance comes flying towards me. It stops about ten feet in front of me.

The back doors fly open and two men in uniform come over and walk me to the ambulance. I step up into to it and then the medics make me sit. Then out of no where the doors slam shut and the lights go out. And that was when I smelt it, the smell I knew very well…Death. A small light turns on behind me. I slowly turn around and see the taxi driver grinning ear to ear driving the ambulance.

I jump up and try to get out the back, but it was locked.

“LET ME OUT OF HERE! PLEASE!” I scream as I smash my fist against the locked steel doors.

“Mikki you need to stop. It all will be over soon, but you just need to calm down!” The taxi driver tells me.

“NO! LET ME OUT! AAAHHH!” I yell hard as I can, only a few inches from his face.

He didn’t say anything, he just looked at me.

“AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!” I scream as I try to throw the nearest thing at him, but fail.

“Mikki, I told you to calm down, but… you didn’t. I warned you Mikki,” the driver said shaking his head.

I was about to scream, when I see one of the medics walking towards to me with a syringe in his hand. I turn but with no where to run to, I once again feel the sharp pain in the back of my head, and again I blacked out and fell to the floor.

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